WILLISTOWN

Willistown was organized as a township about the
year 1704. It was first represented at court by Thomas Garrett, as
constable, in 1705. A large part of the township was within the lines of the
Welsh tract, but many surveys were made for other persons, especially in the
southern part. The families of Hibberd, Massey, Smedley, Thomas,
Garrett, and Yarnall were among the earliest and most numerous, and many of
their descendants are inhabitants of the township at the present time.*(1881)

A draught of the southern part
of the township, made ca 1704, shows that, beginning at the SE corner and going
Northward, Francis Yarnall had 510 acres; Peter Thomas, 528; Thomas Massey,
420; and Barker and Co 2103. West of Peter Thomas the Indians had a
square piece of 500 acres, mostly on the east side of Ridley Creek. West
of Barker and Co were Samuel Levis, 667 acres; William Garrett 556; and Samuel
Richardson 1160.

Francis Yarnall obtained a
patent, Nov 28, 1703, for 400 acres next to the Indians' land, and in 1738
Amos and Mordecai Yarnall obtained patents for the land deserted by the
Indians.

Josiah Hibberd, of Darby,
purchased from Martha Barker, of London, and Joseph Buckley, of Philadelphia,
250 acres of the Barker and Co.'s tract, and in 1731 conveyed the same to his
son, Benjamin Hibberd, who had settled thereon. John Hibberd, another
son, had settled in the twp by 1721, and in 1722 we find the names of Richard
Jones, Benony Griffith, Thomas Richard and Morris Griffith.